


Porch lights and tea

by emthefireybird



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Coffee Shops, Gonna rewrite, Homelessness, Hurt Dirk, M/M, Street Musician, Tea, basically just sad coffee shop au, homeless todd, i kind gave up, sad todd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 11:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10333307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emthefireybird/pseuds/emthefireybird
Summary: A very homeless Todd needs someone to talk to, but he's too stubborn to admit it. Dirk buys him coffee.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to make this more developed and less sad... I'm rewriting it now actaully. A lot more hugging and less sad Dirk. Watch out for that fic. :)

Dirk Gently walked happily along the road towards the cafe, gray sky threatening rain above him. He didn't mind, he enjoyed rain. Rain made the world feel as if it'd been washed clean, rain spattered on Windows and lulled him to sleep. He liked rain. As he approached the cafe he noticed a man sitting outside. The man was sitting on the topmost step of the cafe, leaning against the doorframe. As dirk got closer he noticed that the man was holding a guitar, which he strummed lazily. On the group beside the man was a hat. It was upturned and had a few coins settled within. Dirk smiled to himself, he'd always like street musicians. He approached the man and sat down, the small porch just barely fitting them both. The man looked up at Dirk, seeming surprised. “Hi, I'm dirk.” Dirk greeted, hold out a hand to shake. The other man gave him a disbelieving look and cautiously took Dirk's hand.

“Todd,” Todd replied, and Dirk smiled to himself. Todd went back to strumming and dirk watched him, enamored by the way Todd lazily picked at the strings. “so…” said todd suddenly, breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence. Dirk look up at his face, waiting for him to continue. “is there something you want from me? I don't have any money.”

“Oh, no. I don't want money at all!”

“Then why are you here?”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“I think you’re wrong Dirk, people don’t want to talk to me. You just pity me because I’m homeless.”

“I didn't even know you were homeless until you just told me! Is it so hard to believe that someone might appreciate your company?”

“At this point in my life, yes. Everyone just wants something from me. And I can tell you it’s never just company.”

“That sounds dreadful… do you want to talk about it?”

 

“What? Like you’re my therapist or something? No thanks.”

“Why?”

“Because- well because- I don’t know Dirk, but it’s a bad idea.

“Would you do it for a bribe?”

“What, my life story for money? Are you writing a book or something?”

“No and no. Your life story for a cup of tea, or coffee I guess. And I'm not writing a book.” Todd ponders this, his face taking on several different emotions all at once. 

“I take my coffee black”

“Brilliant! I’ll be right back.” Dirk disappears into the shop and Todd frowns to himself. He feels as if he’s being manipulated, though it seems almost impossible with how happy and carefree Dirk seems, he’s seen it all before. Fallen for bright eyes and grand promises only to be stabbed in the back. Todd grabs his hat and guitar before he starts making his way down the steps.“Where’re you going?” a voice asks from behind him. He turns to see Dirk standing just outside the door with two steaming cups in his hands, hurt filling his eyes. 

“Uh..” Todd falters, not sure what else he could say to make it seem like he wasn’t running away. Dirk doesn’t say anything, so Todd just walks back over to the spot he was sitting in and does just that. Dirk hands him his cup and sits down.

“Are you okay?” Dirk asks, and Todd feels his heart clench slightly. Dirk was so... Odd. Even the people who’d fished him along in his past were never really this caring. Todd had been extremely desperate at the time, and he supposed he still was. Dirk eyed him over his drink, looking worried. 

“I haven’t been okay for a very long time, Dirk,” Todd tells him, hoping he won't drive away the happy man with his odd nature and dark past. Dirk sits up a little straighter, looking curious but also afraid. 

“Go on.” Dirk murmurs. Todd is apprehensive. He sighs.

“The shitshow that is my life started going downhill when I was thirteen. My sister was diagnosed with this rare strain of cancer, she only had months to live. My father left home. My mother stopped talking, and my sister turned to drugs, said she was ‘enjoying life while she still had one’ I didn’t stay long, I left home too. Guess coping mechanisms get passed down, eh? I stayed with friends, shoplifted for food, until one day I saw in a line on a local newspaper ‘Let us remember, Amanda Brotzman 1998-2009’-” Todd paused, taking a shuddering breath. He could still remember the feeling in his chest when he saw those words. He still remembered not even going back to where he was sleeping, just collapsing in a pile beside the newsstand. He felt shivers begin to run through him and then there was a warm hand on his arm.

“You don’t have to keep going.” He turned towards the voice and found caring eyes meet his. He felt the tears in his eyes.

“I’m fine.” His voice broke over the words.

“No, you’re not.” Todd’s chest tightened again. He didn’t deserve this, whatever this is. With a past like his, he would only bring pain. 

“You should go. If you’re the person you seem to be, I’m just going to be a burden you.”

“What? You’re not a burden, Todd!” Dirk exclaimed, grabbing both of Todd’s arms so he could turn to face him. Todd pushed him off, standing.

“Just leave Dirk, i don't want you here” He shouted, gesturing wildly to the outside. Dirk's head droops, and he nods. 

“I see.” dirk whispered. He pulled a crumpled bill from his pocket and hands it to todd. “You're good at guitar.” Dirk left without a second glance. As Dirk walked home, back to his apartment, it began to rain. He smiled slightly to himself and flips up the collar of his jacket to block out the wind. 

Dirk finally arrives home, wet and tired but really no physically worse for wear. He doesn't bother to change and instead collapses onto the couch, head filled with worry for the guitarist left out in the storm. He scolds himself mentally. This always happens. He always tries too hard to help people and ends up pushing them away. Dirk won't be going to that cafe any time soon.

\----fini----


End file.
